Karlheinz Grubelnik built a huge train system in his garden. Dozens of small narrow gauge lines rush through stations, tunnels and past castles.
There is one sentence that Karlheinz Grubelnik does not like to hear: “He is playing with his train again.” Because what the driver and transporter of GKB has created in his garden in Pölfing-Brunn is definitely not a toy. Here is the largest garden railway in Styria and probably Austria! Around the beautiful Grubelnik family home there is a mini railway of 810 meters. Here 96 narrow-gauge trains, consisting of around 500 wagons, run their rounds.
From the bottle train to the Zillertalerbahn
Everything that has been running on the narrow-gauge network in Austria since 1960 can be seen here: from the Mixnitz local railway to the Stainzer bottle train, the Mariazeller railway to the Feistritztal and Zillertal railways. Everything is on a scale of 1:22.5 and completely identical to the steam model. “I was fascinated by trains from a young age and in 2016 I started building the garden railway. And the whole thing has become bigger and more elaborate,” says Grubelnik during his visit to the “Krone”.
Complete, that sums it up nicely. Because the garden not only contains railway tracks, but also many small architectural delights. In addition to original replicas of Austrian narrow-gauge railway stations, there is also a smithy, a farm, church towers, a swimming lake and a castle to admire, lined with dozens of small figures, from conductors to walkers. In total, Grubelnik painstakingly built 60 buildings. “Of course, everything with sound effects such as church bells or announcements from the conductor or a party on the Murtalbahn,” he says proudly.
“Shadow station” in the basement
The attention to detail knows no bounds; Grubelnik even processed the driver’s snack bag. Everything is controlled via a sophisticated system via mobile phone and laptop. “When the trains are not running, they are in the basement of the so-called shadow station, where my warehouse and the train workshop are also located. From there, they drive independently through a tunnel at the basement window to the outside and back again.” The operation is simulated 1:1, the computer always knows where the trains are and are running. “This prevents accidents. The lighting and signaling system works like a real train station. “So I can also use the garden railway as a training facility,” says Grubelnik.
Visits possible
The area is lined with trees that have been trimmed with scissors. His current project: “I am reconstructing the train station scene from the classic film ‘I think so often about Piroschka’ with the actors as small characters and the accompanying train set.”
Grubelnik is slowly reaching his limits in terms of space, but at least he doesn’t have to worry about continuing the huge facility. His seven-year-old daughter is already busy building and will continue the garden railway. If interested, visitors can visit the garden railway and contact tfzf-karl-heinz@gmx.at.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
